‘Death Note’ Creators Tsugumi Ohba And Takeshi Obata Have Seen The Netflix Adaptation, Here’s Their Reaction

Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Death Note has been roasted by fans for not staying true to the original version, but the creators may have a different opinion. Death Note producer Masi Oka, who went to the San Diego Comic-Con to promote the film, revealed the duo behind Weekly Shonen Jump’s popular manga, Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, have already watched the movie. Oka went on to describe what happened as follows.

“The greatest moment for me was going to Japan and showing the film to [creators Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata], and we had a private screening for them. And when they came out and said, ‘Thank you,’ and ‘We love the film,’ it really just brought a tear to my eye, because I’m an otaku and a geek just like everyone. I grew up on this, so having the senseis be proud of our films makes me proud, and hopefully in turn will make the fans proud of the film as well.”

While Oka expressed his happiness over the reaction of the original creators, fans have been more critical of the Americanized version of Death Note. In defense of the project, Oka maintained they were aiming for a “culture-specific” approach. In one interview, he explained Netflix’s version of Death Note will follow the core principles of the original story, but it will be an entirely different film.

In the original Death Note, a bored teenager, Light Yagami, meets the death god, Ryuk, and becomes the owner of a notebook that allows him to kill anyone by just writing a name. Light starts out as a vigilante who rids the world of criminals. However, an eccentric detective, L, notices someone is behind the deaths, and the chase begins.

In the Netflix adaptation of Death Note, the story is set in Seattle, where the story revolves around Light Turner. Nat Wolff plays the role of Light, and Keith Stanfield acts as L’s counterpart. Margaret Qualley plays the role of Mia Sutton, the adaptation’s version of Misa Amane.

The biggest complaints fans had about Netflix’s version of Death Note are the changes made to the personalities of the characters. Since the film is different from the original, fans took issue with the fact that the creators decided to use the name of the original characters. While there are many fans who are skeptical of the film’s ability to live up to their expectation, those who attended the premiere of Netflix’s Death Note reveal the movie is not totally bad.

For those who didn’t watch the movie yet, Death Note is scheduled for release on Netflix on August 25.